The Evolution of Comedy

For those still in withdrawal from the cancellation of Arrested
Development, let me write you a prescription: Modern Family.

The comparisons are obvious and with good reason. The postmodern comedy
for the 21 century was ushered in by The Office(UK) and Arrested
Development, but I, for one, doubted something could come along and
satiate my longing for another truly, original comedy.

Albeit, you may initially be wary to see yet another mockumentary-style
show, but by the end of the pilot, you'll be smiling/laughing way too
hard to stay cynical. Thus far, the plot lines have been really fresh
and the characters are so, for lack of a better word, lovable. This
show fulfills all my comedy needs, and I feel like I must resort to the
listing of relevant adjectives: Witty, dry, smart, outlandish, silly,
clever, cute, sarcastic, subtle, not-so subtle. HILARIOUS.

I hate to say it, but the laugh tracks and raw goofyness of classic
sitcoms like 'Seinfeld' and 'Friends' are obsolete and leave something
to be desired. You will find that something in Modern Family.

And who knows, maybe some of the more painfully funny and poignant
scenarios will reveal insight into the changing dynamics of both the
modern family and modern comedy.

Great f_cking show. Period.

And let's get it right this time around: don't cancel good TV shows.
Pretty please?

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137 out of 189 people found the following review useful:

Wow. Hysterical.

Give this show a chance. I really kind of watched it against my will,
but figured I'd give it a shot. I bet out of a hundred pilots, I would
like maybe one - this was that one. I literally laughed out loud at
numerous parts - the way that it comes together is interesting /
well-done - each couple has an interesting balance - great dialog (IMDB
won't let me spell it with a "ue" at the end) - original characters -
I'm impressed.

I don't think I've ever seen ABC come out with something in this vein.
Normally their shows are a bit watered down, but this is edgy and as
fresh as anything I've seen hit network TV. I know that comparisons to
Arrested Development will be frequent, but I think that this has more
structure. The characters aren't as wacky, but they're more believable
and easier to sympathize with in my eyes. Tremendous acting, great kid
actors - I forwarded the pilot to a bunch of people already, and I feel
lucky that I got to watch it before it came out officially.

Smart and Funny

It's written by smart and funny people. It shares some DNA with
Arrested Development and Fraiser, but has a little bit more heart.

6 episodes in and I am still impressed and still laugh out loud.

I usually avoid ABC because their programming in years past has been
terrible and vanilla. Happy to see they have taken some chances on this
show and hooray for them, it seems to be finding an audience and
critics love it too.

I usually hate shows with little kids in the cast... they usually end
up getting used as cute crutches when writers run out of ideas, but
Modern Family has been giving the kids sharp dialogue to match the
grown ups.

The gay Mitchell and Cameron couple are portrayed honestly and they are
hilarious.

The very underrated Ed O'Neill is pitch perfect as the grouchy but soft
family patriarch. Sofía Vergara who plays his Colombian trophy wife is
excellent and very funny in what could have been written as a terrible
bimbo role.

I wasn't sold on Ty Burrell as the dad who tries too hard to be cool
after the pilot... but he's a slow burn, and now it works.

Julie Bowen as the slightly off kilter mom adds an anchoring charm to
the mix.

Every person on this show gets good lines, and the quality is holding
up... I hope they win a boatload of Emmys.

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92 out of 138 people found the following review useful:

Best show in years

I just want to say that I love this show!! It is good family
entertainment. I believe all of us can relate to someone in it or have
a relative that can. For those of you who only saw the pilot (which I
watched by accident and loved)please don't give up on it, it is really
good comedy. I can't decide who my favorite character is, Cam,
Phil...all of them, each week another one cracks me up. I rarely watch
TV but this one has me hooked. I agree that the format is much like The
Office, which I also think is funny, but the shots to the camera, the
expressions are some of the best parts. We have all of the shows on dvr
because my daughter and I usually can't wait till the next Wednesday to
see it again! Again...Best show in years!

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73 out of 107 people found the following review useful:

Well written--real laughs

When I saw summer promos of this sit com I thought it looked forced and
very predictable. As Cam would exclaim, "Surprise!" It is well cast,
written, and consistently laugh out loud funny. The documentary camera
bit is actually as well done, no, even better than one of the best, The
Office. I recognized most of the talented adult cast, they have great
chemistry, and it was so hilarious when Shelley Long guest starred as
the ex wife. But it is the kid actors on the show who are amazingly
well directed in their parts- Manny, as a son, stepson, brother, uncle,
and cousin is a hoot: he can wisecrack with the best of them, and then
break your heart when dad isn't able to fulfill his promise for the
weekend. I always thought Steve Levitan did agreat job with "Just Shoot
Me", on NBC and I think he and ChristopherLloyd have got a hit show for
ABC. Take a look at this so ABC won't cash in on some more ridiculous
reality shows.

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80 out of 132 people found the following review useful:

The funniest, most believable comedy in years

Because I have not one, but two, DVRs I'm able to give all the new
shows a chance, which I did with "Modern Family". Am I ever glad I
did!! I have found that everything about this show is believable.
Though the situations that occur during any given half-hour show would
obviously never all happen in that short a stretch, I have no
difficulty in believing that they would all happen. I never feel that
anyone's exaggerating to draw a laugh or milking a laugh. It's just the
only "laugh out loud for the whole show" on TV today. It is, IMHO, the
funniest show since MASH, and that's saying some.

There are some parallels to another of my favorites, the little
appreciated "Arrested Development", "Modern Family" has its own unique
flavor; and the flavor is . . . hilarious!!!

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72 out of 118 people found the following review useful:

One of the best TV comedies to hit the air for a while

I saw the trailer for this show a while back and was instantly
intrigued. Shot in a "mockumentary" style it follows the lives of three
couples who's various members are related as family members. Although
the set-up is slightly cliché, a gay couple, a stereotypical family and
a Columbian wife and son (from her first marriage) with her American
husband, this is where the standard ends. The dialogue is fantastic and
at many points I found myself really laughing quite loudly, something
which is very rare for a TV show to accomplish for me personally. The
casting is also spot on with the inclusion of Ed O'Neill (the infamous
Al Bundy!), Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen and Sofía Vergara, with each actor
really bringing something unique to the mix. I strongly recommend this
show to anybody who appreciates good comedy, the "to-camera" sections
of the dialogue have a very close resemblance to the original UK
version of "The Office" and for those who are familiar with this,
Modern Family will be a welcomed return. Great show, great acting,
great script. Highly recommended.

I decided to check out "Modern Family" after hearing all of the
critical praise about it. The show was five episodes in, so I caught up
on the action online. And I must say that the acclaim is well-deserved.
The show is nothing like what I'd imagined when I read about it. It is
not a typical three-camera sitcom and it actually IS as gut-wrenchingly
funny as people say.

With any modern TV comedy, people are going to compare it with
"Arrested Development", which is highly regarded as one of the greatest
shows ever by many. "Modern Family" is not quite "A.D.", but I can see
why some people may compare the two.

"Modern Family", like "Arrested Development", is a comedy about a wacky
extended family that is filmed in a quasi-documentary style, similar to
"The Office". The characters don't acknowledge the camera, but they do
contribute "talking head" segments to supplement the action. The show
is less cartoony and surreal than "Arrested Development" or "30 Rock",
but the comedy can still get pretty off-the-wall.

The ensemble cast is great. There are three branches of a single
family. The patriarch (Ed O'Neill) has re-married, bringing a
Colombian-born wife and her son into the fold. The daughter (Julie
Bowen) and her husband (Ty Burrell) have three kids. The son (Jesse
Tyler Ferguson) and his partner (Eric Stonestreet) have just adopted a
Vietnamese baby. The show focuses mainly on the parents and how they
raise their families and interact with each other in today's society.

My favorite character is Phil (Burrell), who plays the dad who tries to
be "hip". He means well, but he's really kind of a wimpy husband.
Phil's always putting himself in awkward situations (without always
realizing it) and some of his lines are hilarious. He tries so hard to
be the "cool dad". Next I like Cameron (Stonestreet), who's gay and
proud of it. He's sensible and sensitive and he has some great lines,
too.

Although I haven't really connected with the show like I have with some
others (just a matter of personal style), there's no denying that
"Modern Family" is an above-average comedy. It's written well, with
humor sewn throughout the fabric of each episode, and each episode
packs some laugh-out-loud moments. And I say this as someone who rarely
actually bursts into audible laughter. (Occasionally, with shows like
"A.D." or "30 Rock".) This show does it, though. Phil, in particular,
has me in stitches.

To give you a comparison, I'd say "Modern Family" is like a cross
between "The Office" and "Arrested Development". Presented more like
the former, with humor and content drifting more toward the latter.
More grounded in reality than "A.D.", though, and without some of the
triple-entendres and zingers.

The show finds windows to sneak in some wholesome family morals like
togetherness and acceptance, but the episodes always end with a laugh.

But the rumors are true. "Modern Family" IS a very funny new comedy.
Check it out on ABC or ABC.com if you don't believe me. (Or wherever
else it's available.) It definitely should be on your radar.

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54 out of 97 people found the following review useful:

A surprise hit!

I wasn't sure about this show. I liked Ed O'Neil and wanted to see him
succeed in another comedy. I talked my girlfriend into watching the
pilot episode and we laughed uproariously. The casting was so good. Ed
O'Neil's delivery is absolutely pitch perfect. Ty Burrell is annoying
but, in the perfect over-compensating way that you would expect from a
dad who feels his Life has aged while he has remained a teenager. Julie
Bowen manages to under play her role as Ty's annoyed and insecure wife.
Sofia Vergara is absolutely gorgeous as O'Neil's younger, Latina wife.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet are hysterical together. The
show ties together so well each and every episode.

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5 out of 8 people found the following review useful:

Unfunny Family...

I gave this a try back when it first came out, got halfway through the
first episode and turned it off. To say it seemed, shallow, clichéd and
in some cases offensive to my intellect would be an understatement.

A couple of years later, seeing it still running, I gave it another
try, thinking it must have improved. What I saw was shallow, clichéd
and offensive to my intellect.

I then erased it from my mind until now, when, amazingly in its sixth
season, I somehow hypnotised myself into believeing it would have got
better again. I tried a recent episode. All I got was - you guessed it
- a shallow, clichéd and intellect offending mess.

I never made it through a complete episode, despite the presence of Ed
O'Neill, who, if I'm honest, was the only reason I gave it a shot in
the first place.

From what I have seen of it, however, I can say that the parody of a
"Modern Family" that they sought to portray is sadly way off the mark.
It isn't a parody, it is a caricature. A badly thought-out, sometimes
hideously over-acted mess that fails to elicit even the smallest of
chuckles from me. Most of the time I was just staring in disbelief at
the inanity of it.

There isn't any clever humour in this show. Just a lot of dumb humour
and stereotyping of minorities that makes you blink in surprise that
anyone could find it funny.

SUMMARY: Bad. Really bad! Not even train-wreck good. If I say I'd
rather watch 2 Broke Girls instead, you'll understand just HOW bad!